The present invention relates to toy airplanes. More particularly, the present invention relates to toy airplanes having microprocessors for assisting flight.
Existing propeller-driven toy airplanes utilizing radio control usually have single or twin propellers provided on the airframe. The propellers are driven by a motor, an engine or the like, so that the toy plane can be made to fly freely in the air. Existing toy airplanes generally have propellers employed only for driving the airplane. Those airplanes require an elevator or a rudder to direct the airplane upward or downward, or right or left. For such toy airplanes, a control servo and a mechanical mechanism for controlling the elevator and the rudder are necessary, and thereby the airplane is difficult to control and the weight increased. In addition, a driving source for the propellers is required to have a large output, resulting in an increase in the cost of the toy as a whole. Moreover, in respect to such control of the elevator and the rudder, responsiveness to changes in direction and elevation for the radio controlled toy is quite good. The sensitivity of the elevator and rudder to control signals from the radio controller causes the airplane to be extremely difficult to fly. Moreover, such controls require time and practice to master, thereby creating a frustrating experience and increasing the likelihood of a crash for a beginner. Due to the large number of parts in existing toy airplanes, the material used to construct the parts of existing toy airplanes, and the shape of the fuselage of existing toy airplanes, such crashes could cause substantial damage to the plane, thereby creating a frustrating flying experience for a beginner.
Radio controlled airplanes are generally expensive to purchase. Moreover, they require time and practice to learn how to fly the plane successfully. First time flights often end up with disastrous results, thereby frustrating the beginner and lessening the enjoyment of the activity. Additionally, many consumers do not want to spend a lot of time learning the required skills prior to initiating a first successful flight. Therefore, beginners are reluctant to purchase such planes a first time, and even more reluctant to purchase subsequent planes after damaging a plane in a crash. A need exists for a toy airplane assembly that is easy to fly for the beginner, inexpensive to purchase, and durable to survive crashes.
Examples of existing radio controlled toy airplanes are disclosed in the following references: U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,230 to Boucher et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,317 to Kidd; U.S. Pat. No. 4,198,779 to Kress; U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,000 to Suto; U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,455 to Yang; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,525 to Matlin et al.
Thus, there is a continuing need to provide improved toy airplanes.
The radio controlled (RC) plane assembly of the present invention is easy to fly, inexpensive, and durable. The RC plane assembly includes a plane having a radio receiver for receiving signals and a microprocessor for assisting flight.
The plane fuselage is a one-piece molded part, thereby requiring no assembly by the consumer. The fuselage is made of a foam material, such as EPS or EPP foam, to provide durability to the plane, as well as having lower manufacturing costs than existing toy airplanes. Moreover, the foam material is flexible to withstand the impact of a crash, which occurs frequently for beginning radio controlled plane users, thereby providing a plane having a long life. The fuselage shape is substantially that of a flying wing, thereby providing a high coefficient of lift to the plane to assist in maintaining the plane airborne. Motors drive propellers positioned on the wing on opposite sides of the fuselage. The microprocessor and the radio receiver are attached to a printed circuit board housed in the fuselage. Batteries supply power to the printed circuit board. The radio receiver located in the fuselage receives a signal from the radio transmitter in the hand-held remote control. The signal triggers the microprocessor, which distributes power to the motors for driving the propellers. All movement of the plane is controlled by the microprocessor. The microprocessor assisted flight provides an easy to fly plane that is an enjoyable experience for a beginner.
Batteries supply power to the plane""s printed circuit board. Preferably, the batteries are rechargeable. A docking station may be used to recharge rechargeable batteries. Attaching the plane to the docking station recharges the plane batteries. A switch on the base controls the level to which the batteries are recharged. An indicator, such as LED""s, on the docking station indicates that the recharge is occurring and/or indicates when the recharge is complete. A timer circuit may be used to avoid overcharging the plane batteries.
The remote control radio transmitter is a hand-held device for sending signals to the radio receiver on a printed circuit board housed in the plane fuselage. In response to the received signal, the radio receiver triggers the microprocessor, which controls distribution of power from the batteries to the motors. Altering the distribution of power to the motors causes the plane to turn right, turn left, climb or descend. The hand-held remote control radio transmitter transmits four signals to the plane: turn right, turn left, turbo (or thrust) and land.
Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the invention.